First Nations School Board votes loom
Eight school councils and communities will be voting in referenda on whether to join a new First Nations School Board next month.
Eight school councils and communities will be voting in referenda on whether to join a new First Nations School Board next month.
According to the Department of Education, as of Dec. 13, the following school councils and school communities have submitted a resolution or a verified petition to trigger a referendum:
• Chief Zzeh Gittlit School;
• Grey Mountain Primary School;
• Johnson Elementary School and Watson Lake Secondary School (one referendum);
• Ross River School;
• St. Elias Community School;
• Takhini Elementary School;
• Nelnah Bessie John School; and
• J.V. Clark School.
In these school attendance areas, voting will begin on Jan. 11 and be open until Jan. 27.
Early applications for mail-out ballots will open on Jan. 5.
Elections Yukon will oversee the voting process and will provide additional information on voting locations in the attendance areas on https://electionsyukon.ca.
Official results will be available on Jan. 31.
“Every child deserves to have access to high-quality education that is grounded in community values,” Education Minister Jeanie McLean said Tuesday.
“By working with Yukon First Nation governments to create strong learning opportunities for Yukon children, we are advancing reconciliation and providing them with valuable skills and experiences that they will carry with them throughout their lives.
“Our government continues to work with all Yukon First Nations and local communities towards establishing the first Yukon First Nation School Board.
“As these schools undergo the referendum process, I encourage all Yukoners who are in these school attendance areas to visit https://electionsyukon.ca to read more about this process.”
The First Nation School Board Framework Agreement was announced last June 3.
It provides a path to advance reconciliation and gives First Nations governments greater authority in the education of their citizens, the government said.
“Elections Yukon is committed to ensuring a fair, transparent and compliant vote process for the referendum and Yukon First Nation School Board election, which will follow,” said chief electoral officer Max Harvey.
School councils and communities will have the opportunity to pass a resolution or submit a petition for the 2023-24 school year at a later date.
Comments (7)
Up 5 Down 6
NeilAlexGeddy on Dec 31, 2021 at 2:16 pm
Nothing to fear. This means is that an academic education will be supplemented with cultural examples. Think of basic statistics being taught using datasets from salmon counts. The basic academic principles don't change but the exercise would focus on examples that are more relevant to 1st Nation peoples. Add in a couple of literary essays on works done by First Nation authors. No big deal.
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iBrian on Dec 29, 2021 at 7:29 am
The whole point of a Public School system is to prepare the children for the work force. I see a lag in education when I look at what my children are doing and what I did 30 years ago. Everything from mathematics to arithmetic. I have interviewed Yukon community school people who have a Gr.12 Diploma who can not do simple addition or spell.
I would like to see special needs children returned to special classes. Where they can get the support they need. Having FASD, Downs, Autistic, mentally handicapped children in regular classes impedes the remaining children’s education. We work 7-14 hours a week at home to help ours succeed.
How will FN make sure that the schools will support the ones who need 1 on 1 tutoring an also balance providing the tools for the other children to succeed in the real world?
I would be as critical if all of a sudden a religious organization was to take over our school system.
The laws are 2 tiered, what FN kids can do hunting and fishing; Non status kids can not. How will we balance that? As well, you can not go to Europe speaking gwitchen and communicate with anyone. How are FN language classes going to benefit our kids?
We have to improve the system in place now, not change it.
Up 10 Down 4
teacher wannaB on Dec 27, 2021 at 5:08 pm
Years back, I read that the CYFN wanted their own school system to teach their culture, now they are integrating (or are we?).
Up 18 Down 4
Groucho d'North on Dec 24, 2021 at 9:34 am
I am interested in how the curricula will be created and how will it be approved?
Up 27 Down 8
Salt on Dec 23, 2021 at 9:09 am
What's better than a bureaucratized education system guided by government ideology? Why one with more government, obviously. Because the only way to force other people to do what you want, against their own wishes, is to use the government.
Up 45 Down 17
Thomas Brewer on Dec 22, 2021 at 2:31 pm
For schools in primarily FN communities, perhaps this makes sense.
What does not make any sense whatsoever is even contemplating a Yukon FN School Board where a minority (or any) of the students are FN. Funny how Elijah Smith Elementary (which has a school council and a high number of FN students) isn't having a referendumb [sic] on this ridiculous ploy.
Up 38 Down 21
Stew Dent on Dec 22, 2021 at 2:11 pm
High quality education… LOL! If we had high quality education to begin with there is no way that people would participate in the electoral process… Especially, but not exclusively, voting for Liberal divide and conquer intersectionalities.
An education used to be about critical thinking… Now that critical thinking has been banned as something representing “white supremacy” the dominant ideological strain is about uniformity and the movement of people to accept the idiocy of collectivism. This why it is so important for the powers that be to force everyone into getting the vaccine.
Hopefully though we can learn a huge lesson from the First Nation communities… Stay strong and stay the course… Never give up your humanity!!! That is my hope…